Manchester United take on the visitors Newcastle in the round 18 match of English Premier League. The match will be played on Friday, December 26th at Old Trafford (Manchester).
Manchester United continue to surprise as often as they play good football. The Red Devils seemed determined not to repeat last summer’s mistake and considered changing the head coach during the off-season. However, Ruben Amorim, who only took over permanently in autumn 2024 after Erik ten Hag’s complete failure, convinced the club that he deserved time. This came after a dreadful 15th-place finish in the Premier League, which they tried to offset by reaching the Europa League final, only to lose there to Tottenham. This season also brought an “historic” early exit from the League Cup, where a squad strengthened in the summer lost to Grimsby from the fourth division. On the positive side, league form improved somewhat, allowing Manchester United to climb into the group of contenders, and the Portuguese coach was even named Manager of the Month in October. Still, recent rounds brought only a chaotic 4–4 draw with inconsistent Bournemouth and a defeat to an in-form Aston Villa. Overall, their performances remain uneven, with strong attacking spells often followed by defensive lapses. Recent results suggest that Manchester United can compete with top sides but struggle to maintain control for a full match.
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Newcastle have already reached the Champions League under Eddie Howe, which led to a very demanding 2023/2024 season. After that, they managed to win the League Cup and edge Aston Villa in the race for fifth place. This time, Newcastle looked better prepared for another Champions League campaign and secured decent chances of reaching the knockout stage by the end of the calendar year. Yes, they stumbled at the start of the Premier League season, and off-field turbulence clearly had an impact. However, by December, wins already outnumbered defeats. They suffered a painful derby loss to Sunderland, partly due to an own goal, and then played out a 2–2 draw with Chelsea. In the League Cup, after eliminating Tottenham, they also beat Fulham and have now reached the semi-finals. Recent form shows that Newcastle cope well with rotation and pressure across competitions. Even when performances dip, they tend to stay competitive and pick up crucial points.
The Black-and-Whites have won five of the last six head-to-head meetings, suffering only one defeat. The chances in this matchup are considered almost equal. We expect a combative and entertaining game rather than a cautious one, so the recommended pick is over 2.5 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
